The Gripz is a concept vehicle with a revised version of the Leaf EV's electric motor. The doors won't work, at least not well; Nissan doesn't have the build quality nor internal bracing to make them work reliably. I have a thin-tire vehicle, hit a pothole the size of a brick and the rim is done--they probably won't make production. Before you flame me for those statements, I ordered a 2015 Murano Platinum and 2015 370Z from Japan, both custom built, so I'm not negative on Nissan. Bottom line: The Gripz doesn't [yet] exist, and when it does it won't look like the concept vehicle nor compare to the traditional Z heritage.
The Juke is all about color choices,
not quality. Like most recent Nissan products the styling and features are superb, the underlying build is the same hacked-and-stitched crap they've been producing elsewhere. If you want a tiny hipster/hamster taxi with large footprint and no cargo space, get that. If you want a somewhat exclusive race car with large footprint, the same cargo space, and decent build quality, get the Z--it sure won't damage your manhood like the hamster-mobile.
The draw of the Z is good value for the money. Other than the poor choice of plastic in the clutch assembly, it's reliable, fun, fast, and looks good. It doesn't have the deep curves, insane power, top traction, nor price tag of more expensive cars, and with a single twin-scroll turbo, exhaust, and clutch pack it's a crazy-fun squirrely ride. Swap some engine parts, juice the boost, and ya got 1,000 HP and a $70,000+ car for $50,000.
The Z doesn't gain the attraction of some other "classic" cars, but it is a classic, to the extent the 350Z has made every Fast-and-Furious movie except Five, that was a 370Z. With Japanese sourced parts the U.S. cars have been very capable.
Is there a market for the next Z is the question. The global economy is tanking, thanks to the guys that aren't in the news bleeding the peasants for exorbitant taxes--long live the king. Who can afford one? The Z hits that middle-market that was mostly untapped, the just-above-middle-class zone with disposable income, which allowed upper-lower-income passionate car guys to buy new instead of re-building used and still get a lot of rip, right out of the box, plus reliability. The upgrades from there are bolt-ons, no hard work involved. That group is down-sized. You're either scrapping to support your family and pay mandatory "health insurance" and the resulting uncovered medical bills, or you're the foam above the coffee-that thin layer of froth. Will there be enough of "the right people" to make the next generation race car practical--that's the question.
